August 2014: Educating for Nature

CONSERVATION IN ACTION

Education is the key to our environmental future. In support of this belief, Dick and Nancy Noble are helping Paso Pacifico to strengthen the schools of the Paso del Istmo Biological Corridor. Equipped with knowledge and confidence, children will grow to become good stewards of their natural resources.

Thanks to Dick and Nancy's generosity and involvement, 3200 books will be delivered to 20 rural schools in the Paso del Istmo next month. The Scholastic books are in Spanish and include a range of titles each appropriate for different grade levels from K-12. In addition, textbooks covering Math, Social Studies, Language & Literature, and Science will be given to the classrooms.

Other contributions through this project include the purchase and distribution of art supplies and teaching instruments to the schools. Uniforms have been donated to the most impoverished communities where children often do not attend school without them.

We are pleased that Mariah Kennell, an intern from Colorado, has recently joined this project to help coordinate these efforts. Other important partners are Scholastic International, the Nicaraguan Ministry of Education, & the Raechel & Jackie Foundation.

IN THE NEWS

The La Flor Wildlife Refuge is a globally important marine protected area within the Paso del Istmo Biological Corridor.

This month, over 5,000 Olive Ridley Sea Turtles took advantage of the new moon to nest in mass. These events, known as arribadas are considered a strategy by which marine turtles ensure reproductive success by "saturating" their predators. As the nesting season progresses through November, arribada size can reach up to 30,000 nesting female turtles!

August's nesting event caught international attention through this article on Fox News that you may read here.

PARTNERS MAKE IT POSSIBLE

Pedals for Progress is a partner organization that up-cycles discarded bicycles in the U.S. and delivers them to developing countries where they are sorely needed. Thanks to our friends at the Turtle Conservancy, late last year, Pedals for Progress organized the donation of over a dozen bicycles to our Sea Turtle and Forest Rangers. These bicycles provide much needed transportation for the rangers as they travel from their homes to the field sites where they monitor wildlife and protect local beaches.

This year, we were happy to host two board members from Pedals for Progress. They met with our Rangers and learned, first hand, the incredible impact that these bicycles have on our Rangers. The visitors describe their experience in the Pedals for Progress fall newsletter.

We are grateful to Pedals for Progress for their generosity, and for being our partner in conservation.

TEAM MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Milton Ñamendy is a teammember studying the ecosystem services provided by bats to farms located near to the Volcano Masaya National Park.

He enjoys exploring the Masaya Volcano bat caves and the areas off the beaten path he visits through his work. Meeting with local farmers to discuss the pests affecting their crops and the bats that eat these pests is also helping him to hone his skills in outreach and education.

Milton was born and raised in the city of Masaya and is currently working toward a degree in biology at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua.

We admire his work ethic and his love of wildlife, especially amphibians. We are happy to have him on our team.

Thanks Milton!

ACT NOW

Join our grassroots movement for conservation!

IN GRATITUDE

Artist Rodrigo González Chamorro has been a friend and partner to Paso Pacifico for many years. His passion for using art to raise awareness about Nicaragua's most pressing environmental issues led him to curate two major exhibits: Agua a la Vista and Estrago Ecologico. Paso Pacifico was proud to partner with Rodrigo for these events.

Rodrigo is a talented photographer and on many occassions has accompanied us in the field, capturing important images of the International Coastal Clean-up, the Binocular for Sling-shot Exchange, and the Migratory Bird Festival.
Rodrigo is the Cultural Coordinator at the Universidad

Centroamericana (UCA) where he continuously organizes symposia, theater performances, and art exhibits as a means to enrich the lives of students and the Nicaraguan public. The environment continues to be a major theme in the events he organizes.

We are grateful to have Rodrigo's support and partnership.

Gracias amigo!

This month on Instagram: